Guest Blog Post | NIL Explained: The impact a student’s social media can have on landing an NIL deal
We are excited to partner with LifeBrand, a company that provides an AI-powered tool that allows you to clean up your social media, to bring you this guest blog post from their team.
Two years ago on July 1st, college sports underwent a drastic change with the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights. For decades, collegiate athletes were considered amateurs and were therefore prohibited from receiving any form of monetary compensation for their athletic achievements. However, with the ongoing changes to NIL laws, athletes now have the opportunity to monetize their name, image, and likeness.
What is NIL?
Name, Image, and Likeness, commonly referred to as NIL, refers to the rights of college athletes to profit off their own identities and commercial value.
With the implementation of NIL, collegiate athletes now have the ability to enter endorsement deals, promote products, collaborate with brands, and even launch their own merchandise, while still being enrolled in their school. This newfound freedom has created a unique opportunity for student athletes to build their presence online and monetize their athletic talents.
Social Media’s Impact on NIL
One of the most powerful tools your student athletes have at their fingertips is social media. But how are they leveraging social?
Student-Athlete Empowerment
Social media is a direct channel for student-athletes to reach the public. In other words, they no longer have to rely on traditional media or their universities’ marketing efforts to gain exposure. Due to this, social media allows young athletes to share their stories the way they want and to directly engage with their fans.
Building an Online Presence
In the highly competitive landscape of college sports, building a unique online presence at a young age allows athletes to differentiate from one another. Social media allows your student athletes to create compelling narratives, showcase their talents, and interact with followers. The same approach also helps with employment, higher education admissions, and other opportunities they may pursue in the future.
Fan engagement
Social media provides a global audience that enables student-athletes to connect with fans from all around the world. Engaging with your following fosters a sense of community and loyalty, making them more likely to support your student’s NIL opportunities.
In the era of NIL and social media, building your online presence is often expected of athletes as they navigate their careers and connect with fans. A well-defined presence and online persona could help a student-athlete secure an endorsement while also owning their own reputation, fostering deeper connections with fans, and generating long-lasting value.
To help student-athletes and their families get started, companies like LifeBrand offer an AI-powered tool that allows each individual social media user to quickly clean up their TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X profiles to ensure nothing old could come back to damage their reputation or future opportunities.
Learn more and try LifeBrand’s free preview of our social media scrub.
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The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.